Have you checked the top charts in the Mac App Store recently? No? That’s strange; everyone uses the Mac App Store. Joking aside, at the time of writing,Magnet(a $4.99 window manager), is the number one top-paidproductivity appand the number four top-paid app overall. macOS has long lacked proper window management. Unlike Microsoft’s Windows platform, which has had the feature of snapping two windows side-by-side since at leastWindows 10, Mac users have been forced to find workarounds. These workarounds came in the form of utilities like Magnet, which offers window snapping and keyboard shortcuts to quickly place windows around a user’s desktop.
AtWWDC 2024, Apple showcased the next iteration of macOS coming this fall,macOS Sequoia. As part of the tech giant’s preview, we saw Apple’s take on window tiling. Instead of needing to download a separate window manager, macOS Sequoia has built-in window management called window tiling. Yet, is it a replacement for third-party utilities like Magnet?
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Window management is the practice of placing app windows neatly around your display. This is most often done by windows snapping into place, either by dragging them to a section of the desktop that triggers this placement or by using akeyboard shortcut. It sounds simple, but for many (myself included), window management is essential to optimizing our workflow by speeding up switching between workspaces.
For years, Magnet has been my – and many other people’s – solution to our window management woes on the Mac. The app has been fantastic. It’s reliable, never buggy, makes it easy to customize the default keyboard shortcuts, and features 18 different positions for window placement.
…these revelations make it almost certain that I’ll be uninstalling Magnet this fall, albeit with some additional configuration.
Then enters macOS Sequoia. On the surface, macOS Sequoia isn’t a massive update. Still, the introduction of window tiling is an exciting addition for two reasons. First, Mac users who don’t know window management apps exist or how to download them will soon have access to a comparable tool with no more effort than installing a single software update. Second, for power users like myself, it’s nice to minimize the number of utilities that launch at start-up and need to continue running—because there can be many of them.
Initially, window tiling on macOS seems limited in features. Windows can only be dragged left and right to take up half the screen, keyboard shortcuts are hidden under Window > Move & Resize, and there are no keyboard shortcuts for quarters. There’s also no easy way to customize keyboard shortcuts, and a weird amount of extra spacing between windows. All of these friction points count against window tiling and make window managers seem like they aren’t going anywhere.
That was what I thought until I started digging a little further. Keyboard shortcuts are indeed customizable; granted, you need to know how and where to do it, and you can even create shortcuts for quarters. That weird spacing between windows can be turned off under Desktop & Dock > Tiled windows have margins. For me, at least, these revelations make it almost certain that I’ll be uninstalling Magnet this fall, albeit with some additional configuration.
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Third-party window managers still have a chance
There’s no shortage of them
In addition to Magnet, there are countless window manager alternatives, includingRectangle,Amethyst, andsnApp, which are all free, along withMoomandBetterSnapTool, which are paid. Once macOS is released to the public, I believe it’ll meet the window management needs of most people. The regular Mac user will appreciate having window management baked into macOS – and the power user can customize window placement keyboard shortcuts and create others. Still, there are two ways in which third-party window managers will likely live on.
If you’re a Mac user that likes to multi-task, you’ve probably heard of Magnet. The app allows you to easily move your open apps to various on-screen locations, just like a Windows computer.
The first is the ease of customization. Ironically, Apple, a company known for making the user experience easier, is missing the middle step between people who change nothing and the power user who’s comfortable creating custom keyboard shortcuts within System Settings. Third-party window management apps like Magnet have a simple UI, making it more straightforward for users to change their keyboard shortcuts to something easier to remember.
The second is macOS Sequoia’s lack of window placement options. macOS Sequoia only allows window placement on the left, right, top, bottom, center, and quadrants. Meanwhile, Magnet also has one- and two-third options for the left and right. This may not be such a big deal for those on smaller screens. But for those using larger, external displays, it’s a feature they appreciate.
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